Blackbird Fly
by cestlavie0919
Summary: In a world where everyone is born with a pair of wings, the fact that Derek can't fly makes him the target of ridicule. Stiles is actually a very good flyer and decides to help Derek learn how. As their friendship develops, Derek learns to trust and they both learn to love.
1. Chapter 1

My wings burned. I'd never pushed myself so hard before, but the feeling of the wind was cold and refreshing. Gracefully, I swooped down, landing gently on my toes. "Show off!" Scott called, running over. I tucked my wings tightly against my body.

"I've been practicing all summer! Of course I'm going to show off!" I replied. "What have you done all summer?"

"Reading, mostly..." he said. I could tell he was keeping something from me. I scanned him, raising my eyebrows. He broke almost instantly under the pressure. Hunching close to me, he looked around before whispering, "We touched each other's wings!"

"NO WAY!" I screamed, nearly falling over myself in joy and jealousy. "What was it like?"

"Shhh!" he scolded me. Looking around again, he whispered, "It was amazing!"

He was positively glowing. "I'm proud of ya, buddy!" I told him, giving him a congratulatory punch in the shoulder.

"It'll happen for you, Stiles. And when it does… just wow…" he said, getting that goofy lovesick grin that made me nauseous.

"I'm saving that for Lydia," I said, watching her approach the school, her beautiful russet wings caught the morning light in a way that made me drool.

The first day back to school was characterized by a lot of catching up, pretending to have not gotten the Facebook messages inviting one another to various parties that had been blown off in the four months we were out and a general frenzy of nervous excitement. At lunch, Scott and Allison made goo goo eyes at each other while Jackson hovered around Lydia. He was such a tool. I had no idea what she saw in him.

"Stiles… stop staring at them… it's getting a little weird!" Scott said, breaking my out of the trance I was in.

"Do you think they've touched each other's wings?" I asked. Allison nearly spat her juice onto the table.

"The lunch table is hardly the place to talk about that! It's none of your business if they have!" She seemed absolutely scandalized.

I decided to call her on her bullshit. "Stow it, Allison. I know you and Scotty boy did over the summer!"

Both of them blushed furious red. "Oh my God," Allison exclaimed before getting up and leaving.

"Really, Stiles?" Scott added before following her leaving me alone.

The rest of the day went by with no remarkable events occurring. When the last bell rang, I gathered my belongings and headed up to the roof. Taking off from a dead stop on the ground was incredibly hard. It was a lot easier to fall from a higher level and catch yourself. That's what most of us did. I ran, propelling off the side of the building. I spread my wings and flapped hard, catching lift and rising in the air. I flew fairly low, trying to challenge myself. Once you got high enough, the thermals would make flying so easy that it barely required any strength at all. I was proud of how strong I'd made my secondary pectoral muscles over the summer… I didn't want all that work to end up being for nothing. I was probably about five miles from my house when I noticed someone walking.

* * *

The downside to jet black wings was that on hot summer days, life was miserable… especially when flying isn't an option. I could have kicked myself for letting the errands build up this much. Thankfully, everything was almost done and I could go back to my house and cool off. A huge shadow passed over me. I was thankful for the temporary shade. However, I noticed the shadow getting smaller and smaller. Someone was about to land. I looked up, shielding my eyes against the sun. I picked up the pace. People only ever landed next to me for one reason: to rub it in my face that I was "Earthbound"… the new politically correct term for those of us who couldn't fly. They usually had more creative terms.

He landed next to me. I trudged on, pretending not to notice him. "Hey!" he called, following me. "Are you alright?"

I ignored him.

"I noticed you've been walking quite a bit. And it's really hot out… are you alright?" he asked.

"Seriously, I'm not in the mood," I warned. "Go ahead. I've heard it all. Ostrich… Moa…. Kiwi… Nestling… Clipped… which creative alternative are _you_ going to add?"

The man looked shocked and disgusted. "People have referred to you as 'clipped'?"

"Yeah," I replied. "So unless you have a comment that can really just wow me in its creativity and insulting powers, then I don't have time to deal with you."

"I didn't mean anything by it," he stammered. "I really just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine!" I snapped, before continuing my trek. Before long, I realized he was following me. I turned around. "What?"

He gave a sheepish grin. "I was just wondering if I could walk with you…"

"Why?" I demanded, pointing up. "There's a whole sky up there. And you'll get where you want to go a hell of a lot faster."

He shrugged. "I'm Stiles."

"I never asked for your name," I replied, returning to my walk. He continued to follow me like a wayward dog. "Do you always stalk people, or are you making a special exception for me?"

He sighed. "Just tell me your name."

"Will you go away if I do?" I asked. That was a small price to pay for him to leave me the hell alone.

"Yes," he replied. "I promise."

"Derek. My name is Derek."

"It was nice to meet you, Derek!" he said.

I glared at him. "You can go now." His face sunk. I could tell he wanted to say something else. I let out an exasperated sigh. "What is it?"

He was quiet for a few minutes before a look of realization hit him. "You're Derek Hale."

"How do you know my last name?" This kid was seriously freaking me out.

"My dad is the Sheriff. I remember him saying something about the…" He trailed off. He didn't need to complete the sentence because I knew exactly what he meant. The night my parents were killed in the explosion. The night my wing got injured. The night I became Earthbound.

* * *

We walked in silence for a long time, though it probably didn't seem all that long to him. I watched his wings as the sun glinted off of them. His feathers were mesmerizing. They were black, but there were hints of purple and blue. They were much more attractive than my own brown and tan feathers. People didn't believe me but in the right light, some of my feathers looked gold.

"Your feathers are nice," I said, trying to break the silence awkward silence.

"Whatever," Derek replied. Obviously flattery would get me nowhere with him. He glanced back at me, then faced forward again. "If you're going to stalk me, don't pout. It makes me want to punch you."

I winced. "That's unnecessarily violent."

"And you're unnecessarily annoying," he replied.

"I just want to help!" I insisted.

"I don't need your help!"

"You walk because you were never taught to fly…" I said. Being taught to fly was a rite of passage. When you turned 13 and your wings were finished developing, your parents began teaching you to fly. What I remembered of the Hale fire was that Derek was only nine years old when it happened. His parents had been killed. He never learned to fly. "I'm a great flyer! I could teach you!"

He didn't seem to like that idea. "I had a foster family. My foster dad offered to teach me to fly."

"So… why aren't you flying?" I asked.

"Because he wanted me to touch his wings before he'd teach me. I refused. He never taught me and I ran away once feeling developed in my own wings. It's not like it would have mattered anyway, though," he replied.

"And why is that?"

"My left wing got hurt the night of the accident. I was Earthbound after that. I've _tried_ to fly. I just can't," he said. "There are some people who are never meant to fly."

I refused to accept that answer. "If people weren't meant to fly, we wouldn't be born with wings! Give me six months. If you can't fly after six months, I'll leave you alone forever."

"Can't we just save six months of wasted time and skip straight to you leaving me alone?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Nope."

"The quicker I agree to this the quicker you go away?" he asked. I nodded. "Alright then. Teach me to fly."

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy this story. Future chapters will contain feels and probably sexy time so... yeah. Let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

I hated Stiles. He wouldn't understand that I was okay with being Earthbound. But I had become such a project for him that he occasionally skipped school to get in extra flying lessons. Two months had already passed and I was still no closer to flying than I had been the day he quite literally dropped out of the sky and planted himself in my life.

"You're not flapping your wings hard enough. You need to create enough downward force to carry yourself up!" he yelled.

"Easy for you to say!" I yelled back. "You're not standing on the roof!"

"No, but between the two of us, I have the most flying experience," he replied. That made me want to fly down there just to punch him. The sun baked down on us. I'd already removed my shirt. My wings were fully extended. A knot formed in my stomach. It was a long way down.

"Stiles! I'm not ready!" I shouted. I flapped my wings.

"Just jump already!" came his exasperated reply.

I closed my eyes. "This isn't a good idea!" I screamed as I launched off his roof. I tried flapping my wings. For a brief moment, I hung in the air. After that, I was falling. A scream that was girlier than I would have liked escaped my lungs and I fell with a thud. Stiles rushed over.

"Derek! Are you alright?"

"I just fell from the second story. What do you think?" I groaned. I felt sore all over. Luckily I landed with my wings sprawled out. Other than a few leaves stuck between some of my feathers, I was alright. I sat up, plucking the leaves and dropping them on the ground.

"I was sure you'd fly…" he mumbled.

"Well, I didn't!" I retorted. "And I'm never going to so why don't you stop wasting our time and leave me the hell alone?"

* * *

I could feel tears welling in my eyes. "I'm just trying to help," I managed.

"Help? Help what?" Derek shouted. "Get me killed?"

"No!" I insisted. "I want to help you fly!"

"I'm _never_ going to fly!" he screamed. "Haven't you heard? I'm _clipped_."

I winced at that word. "Don't say that!"

"Why not?" he asked. His face was reddening with his anger. "It's true! No matter what you call it, I'm not gonna fly! So go soar off and do little loopty-loops in the clouds or whatever the hell it is that you do up there and leave me down here alone… like I wanted to begin with!" He started walking away.

"No one _wants_ to be alone, Derek. The only people who say they do are those who don't think they deserve any better!" I snapped.

"And suddenly you're also a psychiatrist! How lucky for me," he growled.

"You're never going to fly if you keep thinking that you won't. There's something underneath it all. Until we get to the bottom of it, you're right… you will never fly," I said. "So what is it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"What is the thing that's keeping you grounded?" I asked.

"Probably the fact that my wing got hurt when my parents were killed," he shrugged.

"I've watched you move your wings thousands of times. They move perfectly normal. That's not it. What else?" I urged.

He glared at me. "I'm afraid of heights."

"So was I. I got over it. Next?"

"I don't like you!" he said.

I shrugged that one off. "Lots of people don't. They still are able to fly."

He was quiet for a few minutes. He looked like he was really trying to think of a reason. Finally, his face fell. "When I fall, there's nobody there to catch me."

"I'll catch you," I vowed. "From now on, I'll catch you."

"Every time?" he asked, sounding doubtful.

"Every time," I confirmed. "Do you want to try again, or do more practice?"

He smiled at me in a way he never had before. "Definitely practice."

* * *

Trust. That's what it was. I didn't really trust him. Part of me still didn't and I think he knew that. The practices became more and more grueling. My secondary pectorals were more and more developed. I was able to flap my wings much more powerfully, which Stiles said was a good sign.

Once again, I found myself standing on his roof. The ground looked much further away than it actually was, but Stiles was there, wings outstretched, ready for me. "Are you sure I'm ready?" I called down.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Are you?"

"That's not helpful!" I replied, somewhat annoyed.

He laughed. "You'll never know until you try. But I'll catch you! Just remember. Jump out and flap immediately!"

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. "Shit!" I yelled as I pushed off. I flapped my wings hard. I heard him shouting excitedly so I opened my eyes. I was flying. However, in my excitement, I stopped flapping consistently and began to lose altitude. I cried out.

"I've got you!" Stiles shouted as I sped toward the ground, unable to maneuver my wings in a way to save myself. I landed on him, but he underestimated the force in which I was falling and the two of us tumbled. In the process, his hand touched my wing, causing me to yelp in surprise as feelings of pure bliss spread through my body. "Stiles! Your hand is on my wing!" I managed to say once we came to a stop.

Immediately he jumped backward. "Derek, I'm so sorry!" he quickly apologized, his eyes wide in his embarrassment.

The truth was, I enjoyed it… tremendously. And he only touched my wing because he kept his promise. He caught me when I was falling. I stared at him as we sat in a pile of leaves and feathers, both of us breathing heavily. He looked so ashamed. "It's alright, Stiles," I said. "Thank you."

"For what?" he asked, removing leaves and bent feathers from his wings.

"You caught me."

"I told you I would," he replied, still focusing on his wings.

"I know," I said, mostly just to fill the silence.

He looked up at me, his eyes narrowed. "You didn't think I would, did you."

"I had my doubts," I admitted. "But all my life, other people have been telling me they'd catch me, but never do."

"I'm not other people," he grinned.

"No, you're not!" I agreed. "You're the one who touched my wing."

He blushed.

* * *

"I really didn't mean to!" I insisted. It was an offense almost comparable to rape to touch another person's wings without their permission.

"It's alright," he chuckled, scooting closer. "I enjoyed it." I felt my stomach twist. "You have a leaf… right there…" I felt my heartbeat pick up. "May I?"

I swallowed hard, giving abrupt nods. He moved closer and my wings trembled slightly, unsure what to expect. Slowly his hand reached toward the tawny feathers. I closed my eyes, looking away, gasping when he finally made contact. I moaned as the backs of his fingers caressed my wing, tossing my head back. The sensations faded as his hand separated from my wing. I slowly opened my eyes to see him gazing at me. "That felt incredible," I whispered.

"Maybe we should move this inside?" he suggested, his eyebrow arcing suggestively. I scrambled to my feet, helping him up. Shaking my wings slightly, I tucked them neatly behind me, leading him into the house and upstairs to my room. Once the door was shut, I wrapped my arms around him, breathing in his cologne. My fingers danced along the area where his wings met his back. His knees buckled and he fell toward me slightly. "Let's not do that until we're on the bed."

His lips grazed mine, lingering for longer and longer intervals until his tongue slipped between my parted lips. I stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

"What's wrong?" he asked, separating our mouths.

I had never done any of this with anyone. I was lost. I felt like I was falling. "Catch me," I whispered.

He smiled, leaning his forehead against mine. "Every time."

* * *

**A/N**: This isn't the end, there will be a chapter 3 at the bare minimum! I just felt like that was a great place to pause the story for now. I hope you liked it! Please let me know! Reader feedback feeds my muse!


	3. Chapter 3

Stiles looked so innocent… unspoiled. He mimicked my motions as my hands roamed his body. He was soft. His tawny feathers shivered as I caressed them with the backs of my fingers. Little moans escaped his lips and he pressed himself closer to me. I could feel his hardness in his jeans pressing against my own.

I had to play by ear. I knew about sex. It happens in the air, but we both knew that I couldn't fly high enough just yet. I wanted to make love to him face to face, but I couldn't figure out how to do so given the restraints of his bedroom. I wished I could fly better so that I could give him that experience, but I couldn't. It felt like I was robbing him of something special.

Turning him around, I bent him over his bed, pulling his pants down. He whimpered as I knelt behind him. "Wha-what are you doing?" he asked.

"Just trust me," I said. I had no way of explaining it. I saw it on a site that catered to Earthbound people. I kissed the small of his back, allowing my lips to trail down even further. He shivered beneath me. I pressed my lips to his entrance, letting my tongue dart in. He grunted.

"That feels weird," he groaned.

"I've heard that this kind of prep work makes it a little better," I told him.

"Have you done this before?" he asked.

"No," I told him. "But I've… uh… I've seen it done." It astonished me that I could be so embarrassed about porn yet be inches away from Stiles' ass. Stiles giggled. I returned to my task, easing him open first with my tongue then with my fingers. He moaned loudly as they penetrated him, slicked with lube.

When he was finally ready, I moved into position. As I pushed in, I could feel him tense. "Just relax," I cooed, placing one hand in the space between his wings. He shuddered at the touch. He felt amazing as he stretched around me.

"It hurts," he groaned. "Is it supposed to hurt."

"I think it's supposed to hurt at first," I replied. "Here… does this help?" I stroked his wings. I felt him clench and he yelped.

"Derek I can't do this… it really hurts… I'm sorry…" he grunted.

Slowly I pulled out. He looked ashamed. "Are you alright?" I asked. He nodded. "Do you want to try doing me?" I did my best to hide my disappointment as he shook his head.

"I'm really not comfortable with it," he said softly. "This just isn't how I imagined my first time going."

"Do you want to be with me?" I asked him. "I mean like that? I don't know if I can ever fly high enough to…"

"Derek! No… I _do_ want you… I mean really… I do!" he exclaimed. He sat next to me and kissed me on my cheek. "Here…" He placed one hand on my chest and with the other, he started drawing figure 8s into the sensitive skin between my wings. I bit my lip to keep from swearing and clutched the sheets beneath me. He sped up the motion.

It felt amazing. He stared into my eyes as he did it. I leaned over and kissed him, breaking the kiss only when I finally came, spurting onto my chest. The rush was unlike anything I had ever felt before. "That was great," I whispered as he kissed me again.

* * *

Derek's flying was getting even better, but it still wasn't where it needed to be for us to be able to have sex. I decided to take matters into my own hands. After a rather extensive internet search, I was able to find a forum for people in this situation. I wanted to be able to make love to Derek in a way that would be comfortable for us both.

However, conversations and descriptions weren't quite helpful. Eventually, I was able to find a few porn sites that showed Earthbound people having sex. As I watched the two men on screen, my jaw dropped. It was seriously hot stuff. I grabbed a notebook and pen and began jotting down notes.

As I slowly taught myself how to please Derek, our lessons continued, usually ending with one of us touching the other's wings.

We began to hang out more, too. He would be there when I got out of school and on days that the wind was blowing too hard, he and I would walk to either his or my house and hang out or talk. When the wind was cooperative, we would fly. There was always the unspoken incident between us, though. I knew it weighed on him and I wanted to be able to tell him that it could happen soon. I really just didn't know how to word it and I was too scared that I would say the wrong thing and hurt his feelings.

The weather was getting colder. We had to cut our flying lessons shorter and shorter. After lessons, we would usually just talk. As we looked up at the sky, he sighed. "I never thought that would be in my reach."

I leaned against him. "What are you talking about?"

"The sky," he replied.

I laughed. "Oh hush. You sound like a greeting card."

"Well, it's all thanks to you," he said, putting his arm around me. He nibbled my ear. "I love you, Stiles."

I melted. "I love you too."

"Pretty soon, I'll be flying well enough that I can actually show you how much you mean to me," he said, his voice airy.

I grinned. This was the perfect opportunity. "Maybe we don't need to wait that long."

* * *

**A/N**: Sorry it took so long and sorry it was so short... there was a combination of writer's block and an out-of-commission beta reader, thankfully he's back! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, though! Please let me know what you thought of it, and if you have any questions about this AU, I'll do my best to answer them. :) And I'm thinking there's some Bottom!Derek in the future...


	4. Chapter 4

Warning for Bottom!Derek this chapter.

* * *

We went back to my room. "Stiles, what are you doing? This didn't work last time!" he said as I began to take off my clothes.

"I've done some research," I replied cautiously. "I want to try this. If it doesn't work, then we can just wait until you're a better flyer."

He inhaled deeply, closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose. He kissed me longingly. When the kiss broke he whispered, "Catch me."

"Every time," I whispered back, punctuating it with a kiss.

We kissed more. I caressed his wing and he shuddered a moan. I sat down on the bed and pulled his pants off. Reaching into my drawer, I grabbed the bottle of lube and put some on my finger, slowly pushing it into him. He tensed. "Just relax," I urged. He stood over me as my finger worked into him. I took his dick into my mouth and began sucking on it.

"Oh Stiles…" he breathed. I added another finger, continuing to suck down his length. Soon I was working three fingers in and out of him, adding more lube to ensure he was both slick and stretched. I helped him straddle me before coating myself with the silky liquid. As we eased him onto me, I ran my finger between his wings. His body gave a slight spasm and he sunk down on me. Both of us gasped. He felt better than I could have imagined.

"How are you feeling?" I asked him.

He gritted his teeth. "It feels weird… but I'm okay."

Slowly he lowered himself further and further onto me. I wrapped my wings around us both, continuing to stroke that sensitive spot in his back. His dark black eyes stared into mine as he lowered himself the last of the distance onto me. I couldn't believe how tight and warm he felt. He grimaced. "Are you alright?"

"I need to move," he said and began raising and lowering himself. The motion sent shivers through me. "How do you feel?"

"Like flying," I replied.

I wrapped my wings more tightly. The sensation of our wings touching was nothing short of fantastic. His feathers felt silky and soft against mine and bursts of pleasure crept up my spine as we moved against one another.

Soon he began moaning. "Stiles, I don't know how much longer I can last…"

"Me neither," I replied. It was taking all the restraint I had not to come right then, and even still, a few more thrusts and my hands went down to the sheets and I could feel myself releasing into him. He kept going, as if he were milking it out of me before he, too, came on our chests.

We sat in the same position, our orgasms taking us to blissful new heights as I tucked my wings back behind me as best I could. Derek leaned his sweaty forehead against mine. "Where did you learn this?" he asked.

"Porn, mostly," I replied honestly. "Spent some time in a forum… but a lot of it was porn."

"We could have had fun watching porn together," Derek replied.

"We still can. Want to watch some and then you can do me?" I asked.

He shook his head. "The first time I make love to you will be in the air."

***linebreak***

As I climbed off of him, I felt his dick slide out of me, and his slick cum began leaking along with it. It was an odd sensation. Walking was too for a few steps. I felt awkward. He kissed me, grabbing some tissues and wiping me clean. "I didn't realize it would be so messy," he told me.

We climbed into bed together and laid there, staring at each other. I wanted to know what was going through his head. "Was it how you expected?"

"Better," he replied. "And way better than the last time."

We spent quite a bit of time just close to one another before my body began craving more of him. "Do you want to try again?" I asked him.

He nodded slowly. "There's another position I saw that could be fun."

"Lead the way," I replied.

He positioned me so that I was face down on his bed, my legs spread somewhat. He climbed over top of me. It seemed bizarre at first because we weren't face to face, but as he entered me, none of it mattered. I felt stretched, full, and satisfied with him inside me. It was like we were a lock and key. Slowly and carefully he thrust in and out. My wings were extended and hung over the sides of his bed. He let his wings touch mine. It felt so good. He kissed the spot between my wings. It was so sensitive that I yelped and squeezed myself around him. I wanted to feel his lips against mine… to taste his tongue… but this position made that impossible. He nibbled on my neck and ears and I gave him words of guidance as to what did and didn't feel good. His pace picked up. At first it hurt, but soon, it felt just as good as it did before. I let myself melt into his bed as he continuously drove himself into me.

He collapsed on top of me when he finally came, still buried deep within me. I felt his lips graze my cheek. "I love you, Derek."

"I love you, too."

"Are you sure you don't want to try?" he asked.

"I told you… I want it to be when we're flying…" I replied.

His lips touched my neck and shoulders and he wrapped his arms around my torso, careful to avoid my wing.

When he finally climbed off of me, I was beginning to fall asleep. He cuddled close to me. "Sweet dreams."

* * *

**A/N**: Thanks for reading! Sorry it's so short... but at least it was chock full of sexy time! I hope you enjoyed it and let me know what you thought. I always appreciate reader feedback.


	5. Chapter 5

I never let Stiles know exactly how much it meant to me that he went to the lengths he did to find a way for us to make love. There were moments when I wanted to, but I never seemed to be able to find the right words. Instead, I worked on improving my flying. Even while he was in school, I would fly to run my errands. My speed and endurance were picking up. I began to experiment with altitude and reading books about sex.

Flying was the natural way to do it. Lovers would fly as high as they possibly could, then make love during free fall. The adrenaline and other hormones released during the act is what helped it to feel great and not need all the preparatory work that Stiles and I had to do during our time together, though from all accounts, the process was much quicker in the air than it had been for us which I guess was all a part of the give-and-take nature of the act.

Flying high was always a scary notion for me as a weak flyer, especially when I didn't have Stiles there to help me. I once made it up to the clouds before I began to panic and had to immediately find land. Stiles didn't yet know how high I had gone. I felt bad for holding that information back, but I truly wanted it to be a surprise to him when I was finally good enough to be able to handle it.

As I glided down to the roof of the school, I easily picked out Stiles' tawny wings and landed gracefully beside him. He greeted me with a kiss. "You were flying pretty high that time," he pointed out. I blushed. I always flew lower around him so he wouldn't suspect.

His eyes narrowed. "You've been holding out on me."

"No… I was just… I was just experimenting!" I replied, hoping my lie was convincing.

He narrowed his eyes even further. "We're going to put that to the test, then…"

I sighed. He caught me. As we jumped off the roof, I spread my wings and flapped hard, gaining more altitude. Stiles followed right behind me before taking the lead and climbing higher. I followed him, catching a few warm thermals along the way and riding those higher and higher without the need for flapping my wings to gain elevation. I had learned quickly that thermals were my friend.

As we climbed ever higher, the air began to get cold and thin. It was hard for me to breathe at times and I had to dip back down to get enough oxygen. When we finally landed at Stiles' house, he glared at me accusingly.

"I've never even flown that high," he said. I could sense the anger in his voice. "You've been holding out on me. Why?"

"I've not been holding out," I replied, walking toward him. "I've been practicing. I wanted it to be a surprise… for when we finally…"

His eyes widened and I could see his anger morph instantly into guilt. "I—uh—I'm sorry for getting so mad, then…"

I pulled him into a hug. "It's alright. If anything it just shows what a good teacher you are, considering where I was not too long ago…"

* * *

As he released me from the hug, I leaned forward to kiss Derek. He hadn't shaved recently so his scruff scratched against my skin. "A few more days of practicing flight that high and you're ready…"

His eyes widened and his hand found the side of my face. There was intensity in his gaze that I hadn't seen for quite a long time. He flapped his wings powerfully. "Then let's practice."

The sight of his muscles straining as he flew upwards was something that I'd never forget. It was a far cry from the hopeless and hapless man I had met on the city streets. I wanted him… I wanted him more than I had ever wanted anything before. I was ashamed of the thoughts that went through my head, though I knew that my shame was entirely unfounded because the thoughts were probably similar to the ones he held about me. As we reached heights that made my head spin from oxygen deprivation, we practiced the art of synchronous free fall. Our bodies would need to work as one, guiding ourselves back down at breakneck speeds until at the last minute, we separate, flying back up to try again. It took two days to for him to master the technique. That night, we knew it was time. We decided to do it over his house since it was more isolated.

We flew from my place just after nightfall, landing on his roof and stripping down. The moon was full and reflected off of his impressive body. "Are you ready?" I asked.

"I'm a little scared," he admitted.

"You don't have to be. I'll always catch you," I promised.

He shook his head. "I'm not worried about that. I'm afraid it won't be as good for you as I want it to be."

I pressed my lips to his, my tongue probing into his mouth, and his tongue probing mine. When we parted, I stared into his eyes. "Don't worry about any of that. I love you, Derek Hale. If the first try isn't amazing, we have the rest of our lives to perfect it."

My words created the illusion of more confidence than I possessed. I was afraid, too. The last time he tried to penetrate me, it hurt… it hurt a lot. Even the memory of that pain made me wince.

We dove off the roof of his building and spread our wings, flapping hard to gain the altitude in the warm air without the aid of thermals. The air became gradually cooler until we were high enough. We drew our bodies closer, still flapping our wings awkwardly so he could enter me as I wrapped my legs around him. Our mouths once again found each other and as he started thrusting into me, I scratched into his skin. I felt full and stretched around him, but there was no pain, despite Derek's size. We began to fall as he increased the speed of his thrusts. His strong hands wrapped around me and his fingers danced along the smooth skin between my outstretched wings. I cried out in pleasure and whimpered as we had to separate and begin our ascent again.

I raced upward, ready for him to enter me again, wanting nothing but that sensation. Our bodies collided with intensity and passion. Halfway through our second descent, I came. The act of me squeezing around him caused him to cry out as he, too, came. We rose and fell several times until exhaustion dictated our final descent. I could barely stand, I was so tired and he helped me into his room and onto his bed.

"How was it?" he asked.

I didn't have words for it. Instead, I climbed on top of him and guided him back into my slick opening, not even caring about more sex but just wanting to feel him inside me still. He grinned as I moved slowly. "Is this what it felt like when we had sex?" I asked him. In the dim light, I could see some of his feathers needed to be smoothed so I did it, causing him to shudder.

"I don't know," he replied, meeting my rhythm with his thrusts and sending shockwaves of bliss through me. "What does it feel like to you?"

"Like we were made for one another," I said, trying not to sound too corny, but accepting the fact that I probably did.

He smiled and kissed me. "Yeah… that's what it felt like."

* * *

Our relationship became simple and unfettered by flying lessons. We focused on each other, learning the things that we hadn't made time for when we were trying to get me airborne. I met his father, his friends. I began to consider them family. One night after dinner, I helped his dad with the dishes.

"Oh, Derek… you don't have to do that. It's only a few items, I'll be fine. Go upstairs with Stiles," he said. This hadn't been the first time I offered to help. Every single time I ate dinner at his house, which was increasingly often, I offered to help and got the same response.

"Sir, I actually wanted to talk to you," I replied, taking the clean plate from him and drying it with the towel in my hands.

"What's on your mind?" he said absentmindedly as he focused on his task.

I took a deep breath. "I'm very in love with your son."

He chuckled. "I think I know that, Derek. I'm not blind, you know."

I gave a nervous laugh. "I was wondering if I would like to marry him, sir… if it's alright with you."

"That's very old-fashioned of you," he said, though his tone told me that he wasn't surprised by my request. "I think of you as my son-in-law already."

"So that's a…" I started, wanting clarification. More specifically, I wanted a "Yes!" which he gave. I was grinning ear-to-ear.

One year later, I married him… that strange, goofy kid who fell out of the sky and into my life. I never thought how transformative that day would be for me. I was a broken man in so many ways and he believed in me like nobody ever had. He made me a better person and he made me want to become much more than I was. As we stood in front of our loved ones, white flowers adorning the arch under which we stood. I said two very simple, but very meaningful words and received two in return. "Catch me…"

"Every time."

* * *

**A/N**: Thank you for reading this story! I hoped you enjoyed it. If I left any loose ends untied, feel free to ask me what you want to know. It's easier for me to reply to comments on the Archive of Our Own or through Tumblr where my url is "amothafuckingquiche".


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